The field of the invention relates to aquarium filter assemblies. In particular, the field relates to aquarium filter assemblies having multiple interconnected components.
Aquarium filters are known in the art. For example, aquarium filters are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,771,592; 7,618,534; 7,601,259; 7,594,998; 7,569,139; 7,311,819; 7,033,491; 7,022,227; 5,667,671; 5,585,010; 5,514,280; 5,397,463; 5,306,421; 5,277,800; 5,245,945; 5,242,582; 5,172,650; 5,171,438; 5,160,607; 5,139,656; 5,059,315; 5,011,600; 4,944,871, and 4,915,828, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Aquarium filters typically are located outside of the aquarium tank. However, some aquarium filters are located within the aquarium tank for various reasons. These inner tank filters typically are attached to the inside of the aquarium tank via suction cups or hang on the edge of the aquarium tank. Less commonly, inner tank filters are glued to the rear aquarium tank wall with silicone as a permanent component of the aquarium tank. In these inner tank filters, the filter media and water pump are often in different chambers or in different sections of the filter and are not directly connected. Typically, the filter media and water pump must be removed, cleaned, and replaced separately. The only way to remove both the filter media and the water pump at the same time is to remove the entire filter housing from the aquarium, provided that the filter housing is not permanently attached to the aquarium tank wall. It is desirable to provide an inner tank filter in which the filter media and water pump are integrated and can be removed together for servicing.
Furthermore, in most aquarium filters the water pump is located downstream of the filter media. As such, the water pump is forced to pull water through the filter media creating a negative pressure gradient within the filter media compared to the surrounding water. As such, water-flow through the water pump and into the aquarium decreases as the filter media clogs. It is desirable to provide a filter in which the water pump is located upstream of the filter media so that the water pump creates a positive pressure gradient within the filter media compared to the surrounding water. It also is desirable to provide a filter in which the water pump is located upstream of the filter media and in which when the filter media clogs, water can bypass the filter media and circulate back into the water pump so that the net flow of water through the water pump and into the aquarium does not decrease.